LONGCHAMP : WHEN A PREMIUM BRAND DREAMS OF LUXURY

When you browse through the Longchamp website, you can read the words “modern luxury” associated with the brand and what it represents, implying how this company undoubtedly classifies itself as luxury. Nonetheless, it is important to define to what extent the word “luxury” can describe this brand.

Longchamp has relied on its “Frenchiness” trait since the very beginning, as CEO Jean Cassegrain admits, to catch the attention of luxury consumers worldwide.

The classic Longchamp "Le Pliage Nylon"

Longchamp’s value proposition is in contrast with the items they produce since these are rather similar to other accessible premium brands (such as Coach and Michael Kors). However, the brand’s purpose is to avoid being perceived as an “accessible luxury brand”.

“Longchamp is in a very interesting market segment, because it’s in this affordable luxury segment, but with a strong heritage in leather goods.“

They consider themselves as a strong competitor in the high-end fashion industry, confirmed by their willingness to promote their high-quality artistry and rich history which are usually associated with the general concept of luxury.  

Longchamp official Instagram account

Over time, by scaling up the core components, the brand refreshed itself. At first, it was all about producing leather bags. It then expanded into the ready-to-wear world, after realizing that a bestselling bag (Le Pliage) is not enough to stay competitive. “Le Pliage” has been the brand’s staple item since the beginning and has attempted to emulate the success of other everyday tote bags like the Louis Vuitton “Neverfull” or the Fendi “Roll Tote”.

Close-up comparison picture between the Longchamp "Le Pliage" and the Louis Vuitton "Neverfull" 

Longchamp blindly follows what other luxury brands are doing. First, they started producing ready-to-wear in 2006 but they waited until 2018 to show their presence at NYFW. Like all the major luxury companies, Longchamp invited A-list celebrities to attend their fashion shows to increase their brand awareness and to reshape their image.

First Longchamp ready-to-wear fashion show during the Spring/Summer 2019 NY Fashion Week

They also decided to harness the power of celebrities like Jennifer Lopez and Kate Middleton to present the brand to the public, carrying around their Longchamp bags on the streets. Lastly, they started hiring highly-paid models and it-girls like Kendall Jenner and Alexa Chung for their campaigns.

                                                         

Jennifer Lopez wearing the Longchamp "Le Mini Pliage Cuir Snake Embossed Leather Top Handle Bag" (Photo:Getty Images)

However, Longchamp is still far from being recognized as part of the lux community. Designer items are mainly considered socially divisive but Longchamp fails at fulfilling this ambition: it rather creates a common ground for both affluent and mid-upscale consumers.

They lack the inaccessibility trait that distinguishes real dream brands; they are not considered as a competitor or a substitute for luxury brands. Longchamp is accessible from both a price standpoint, considering that their prices are way lower than the typical luxury brands ones, and from a distribution point of view since their items are widely available and present loose restrictions on licensing opportunities. They borrow the traditional luxury codes but shortcut some of the traditions that characterise the luxury industry and trivialize the processes, the materials and the workmanship.

Finally, they lack a symbolic dimension that would allow their consumers to signal the much-coveted prestige. Overall, a Longchamp product is not perceived as desirable in the eyes of the luxury customer.

For Longchamp to gain a real “dream brand” image, improvements are necessary. Currently, they mostly focus on quality craftsmanship mixed with functionality and reliability; in addition to this, they should engage in experience-driven opportunities that can provide their clients with feelings of uniqueness. To achieve this, making their products more desirable and less accessible, both from a price and a distribution standpoint, is fundamental.

Introducing new collaborations with popular fashion figures and using more celebrity endorsements could also serve their dream aspiration. (They have already collaborated with Jeremy Scott (2018), Mary Katrantzou (2012), and Shayne Oliver (2018)). Furthermore, it should put more emphasis on introducing different styles in leather rather than nylon mainly, as it is crucial to make the brand look more valuable.

It is important, however, to specify that it takes a long way to fulfil the image of a “dream brand”. A luxury brand cannot be built from scratches in a few years, also considering that history and heritage are among the elements that help define the category. 

Dedication, superb craftsmanship and service and achieving rarity and desirability are necessary to help a company start their path towards the luxury golden Olympus.

References

P. Bierthon, L. Pitt, M. Parent, J. Bierthon. (2009). Aesthetics and Ephemerality: Observing and Preserving the Luxury Brand.
https://moodle.unil.ch/pluginfile.php/1689994/mod_resource/content/1/CMR%20Luxury%20Brand%20Typology.pdf Longchamp's Plan to Stay Competitive Amid Luxury Consolidation. (2019) https://www.businessoffashion.com/articles/intelligence/longchamp-strategy-ceo-interview-jean-cassegrain Glenny Lugatiman. (2019). Why Spend Money on Longchamp Original When You Can Afford Designer Bags https://luxurybagscebu.com/blogs/news/why-spend-money-on-longchamp-original-when-you-can-afford-designer-bags Longchamp Plan to Compete with Luxury Conglomerate (2018) https://www.dylankearney.com/blog/2018/10/8/longchamp-plan-to-compete-with-luxury-conglomerates
Longchamp – Reinterpreting Contemporary Luxury https://www.rli.uk.com/longchamp-reinterpreting-contemporary-luxury/
Does Le Pliage bag Help or Hurt the Longchamp Luxury Brand? (2017) https://hbswk.hbs.edu/item/does-le-pliage-help-or-hurt-the-longchamp-luxury-brand
Longchamp Case Study https://www.academia.edu/40433578/LONGCHAMP_CASE_STUDY
Six “Must Have” Features That Make Luxury Brands So Special https://www.socreative.co.uk/how-to-create-a-luxury-brand/